Open Inquiry Archive

Vol. 1, No. 8 (2012)

THE ANNA TUELS QUILT IN THE WADSWORTH ATHENEUM, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT:  Stylistic, Technical, and Historical Considerations

by Lilian H. Zirpolo

ABSTRACT

This article deals with a quilt created in 1785 that is in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. The quilt has been assumed to have been made in Maine by an unidentified woman to celebrate her daughter’s wedding. The daughter’s name, Anna Tuels, is specified in the central inscription, along with the date of execution. In the article, Zirpolo debunks these notions and proposes that the quilt was instead made in Marshfield, Massachusetts by a Mayflower descendant named Experience Taylor.  Anna’s wedding did not take place until 1793 and therefore the quilt was not created to celebrate her wedding. The author also places the quilt within a historical context.

Full text of article available here.

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Text copyright 2012 Lilian H. Zirpolo